Chakras: why they are important and how to unlock them

One of the most important things to understand about Ayurveda is how it explains the energy in your body. The chakra system holds your body's energy - also called prana - and your actions can help keep it in balance.

If you are feeling less energetic, drained of all life energy, or in an emotional funk, you may have a blocked chakra.

Contrary to popular belief, chakras are not the latest fad in the yoga world, but rather an ancient system for understanding your body's energy.

The Sanskrit word chakra translates to a wheel or disk. In yoga, meditation and Ayurveda, this term refers to the wheels of energy throughout the body.

The chakras are located in the central channel of the energetic spine, sometimes called sushumna. This major pathway of energy flow (nadi) begins at the base of the spine and rises to the crown of the head.

The chakras are a rotating vortex of energy that is not seen by the human eye but can be seen, felt and felt with intuition. This invisible healing energy is a life force, keeping us vibrant, healthy and alive.

What exactly does each of the chakras mean, where are the chakras located, and how do you know if one is blocked?

Everything you always wanted to know about the 7 chakras.

What happens in a chakra?

The chakras store the energy of thoughts, feelings, memories, experiences and actions.

They influence and direct our present and future state of mind, behavior, emotional health and actions.

The life force in each chakra can be processed, transmuted and released so that we consciously manifest what we want to call forth, rather than experiencing more of the same.

Chakra healing is the intentional practice of connecting with our stored energy, so that we can understand how our past influences the present and future.

Prana informs us and influences our actions and behaviors, determining our health, career opportunities, relationships, etc. The subtle body describes how our inner reality creates our outer reality.

The importance of the main chakras in the body

These swirling wheels of energy correspond to massive nerve centers in the body.

Each of the seven main chakras contains bundles of nerves and major organs as well as our psychological, emotional and spiritual states of being.

Since everything is moving, it is essential that our seven main chakras remain open, aligned and flowing. In the event of a blockage, energy flows are limited.

Think about something as simple as draining water from your bathtub. If you let too much hair enter the drain, the tub will fill with water, become stagnant, and eventually bacteria and mold will grow. The same goes for our bodies and the chakras.

Draining a bathtub is a simple process; It's physical so the solution is easy. Keeping a chakra open is a little more complicated, but not so difficult when you are conscious.

Since mind, body, soul and spirit are intimately linked, becoming aware of an imbalance in one area through chakra meditation will help bring others back into balance.

Take, for example, a woman who recently lost her husband. She develops acute bronchitis, which stays in her chest, then experiences chest pain every time she coughs. The entire heart chakra is affected in this case.

If she realizes the connection between loss and bronchitis, healing will occur much more quickly if she honors the grieving process and treats this as well as the physical illness.

Connect with your chakras

You can experience connection with your chakras and your centers of consciousness in different ways. This can be through meditation, visualization, yoga, Reiki, crystal healing, sound healing or even acupuncture.

Some people can see the swirling energy in their mind's eyes, or they can feel the vortex with their hands as they pass their hands over their body.

Others experience sensations in their body or mental and emotional changes that correlate with the chakras. You can also get in touch with the thoughts and emotions stored in each vortex with chakra journaling.

When you begin to sense, smell, or see your chakras, their flow may seem underactive or overactive. It can appear deficient and contracted, expansive and healthy.

A healthy chakra system will include chakras that are brightly colored, balanced in size, and flow at a healthy speed.

Don't Neglect Your Chakra Healing Order

When healing the chakras, it is wise to start with the root chakra and explore ideas related to safety, nourishment, belonging, finances, and family.

From there you can move up the spine to the sacral chakra and so on. The health of the lower chakras is crucial to the health of the upper chakras.

Without a sense of grounding, stability, and security, opening the third eye or crown chakras linked to intuition, divine connection, and higher knowledge can seem unattainable.

Blocked Chakras: Recognizing the Signs

• 1st Chakra - Muladhara : if you feel like you are operating in survival mode, it is because the energy of your 1st chakra is blocked. You can't ground yourself because you're stuck in your head. On the other hand, if you have too much energy at the root, you can become greedy or excessive in behaviors. These are misguided attempts to ground oneself.

• 2nd Chakra - Svadhisthana : when the energy of the sacral chakra is blocked, the person has difficulty being governed by their emotions or the opposite, which is a feeling of numbness or loss of contact. There is also a correlation with sexual desire (or lack thereof) at this level. Creativity and pleasure are both found at this energetic level.

• 3rd Chakra - Manipura : This chakra is often considered the center of power, and when it is out of balance, self-esteem can be low and decision-making can seem out of control. Temper flares are also common when energy does not flow well through this chakra.

• 4th Chakra - Anahata : The heart chakra, when energy flows perfectly through it, makes you feel filled with love, compassion, forgiveness and acceptance. When there is a blockage at this energy level, anger, jealousy, grief, or self-hatred may be more prominent.

• 5th Chakra - Vishuddha : this chakra is the source of your most authentic truth. When energy is blocked or weak here, fear of not being accepted or being judged becomes a problem. You may also feel disconnected from your opinions and desires and have difficulty making choices.

• 6th Chakra - Ajna : The word Ajna means "beyond wisdom", and when this chakra is open, you experience expanded imagination, clairvoyance and intuition. When there is a blockage at this level, there can be a tendency to be too involved in fantasy or imagination. Lack of concentration or poor judgment may also occur.

• 7th Chakra - Sahasrara : The crown chakra connects you to the broader universal energy, so when this area is blocked, isolation or emotional distress can occur. This may present as an inability to set or achieve goals or a general lack of direction and feeling disconnected.

How to flow energy through your 7 chakras

When energy is blocked in a particular chakra, you can help get it flowing again with these tips.

1st chakra (root)

• Element: The root chakra is associated with earth, so walking barefoot in sand, grass, or dirt can be beneficial. Any time spent in nature is helpful for this chakra.
• Nutrition: Eat healthy red foods like tomatoes, beets, berries and apples.
• Wear and decorate: Use red accents and wear red jewelry, clothing or shoes.
• Sound: iam

2nd chakra (sacral)

• Element: The sacral chakra is associated with water, meaning swimming or spending time near bodies of water like lakes and oceans is beneficial.
• Nutrition: Eat orange foods like carrots, oranges, melons or mangoes.
• Wear and decorate: surround yourself with accessories or orange tones.
• Sound: vam

3rd chakra (solar plexus)

Element: The solar plexus chakra is associated with the element of fire, so take the opportunity to sit around a bonfire or soak up the sunlight.
Nutrition: Eat yellow foods like bananas, ginger, turmeric, pineapple and corn.
Wear and Decorate: Wearing yellow clothing, jewelry and accessories would be beneficial.
Sound: ram

4th chakra (heart)

• Elements: The heart chakra is associated with air, so breathing deeply will help clear the energy at this level. Drive with the windows open, fly a kite, or take a boat ride.
• Nutrition: Eat green foods, including broccoli, avocado, and leafy greens like kale or spinach.
• Wear and decorate: Accent your life with all shades of green.
• Sound: yum

5th chakra (throat)

• Element: The throat chakra is associated with ether (similar to spirit), so sitting in an open space under a clear sky is a fabulous way to get this energy flowing appropriately.
• Nutrition: Eat blue foods like blueberries, currants, dragon fruit.
• Wear and decorate: use all blue tones.
• Bran: ham

6th chakra (third eye)

• Element: The third eye chakra is associated with light. To balance and open this chakra, sit still in the sun or relax near a window as the sun streams in.
• Nutrition: Eat indigo foods, including purple cabbage, grapes, and blackberries.
• Wear and decorate: Wearing indigo clothing or jewelry and decorating with accents of this color will be helpful.
• Sound: sham

7th chakra (crown)

• Element: The crown chakra is affiliated with all the elements, so it is recommended to connect to your integrity rather than just one element. Spend time meditating, chanting, or praying.
• Nutrition: At this level, nutrition is no longer for the physical body. This chakra is not nourished by food, but by spiritual practices. Practice self-reflection and curiosity.
• Wear and decorate: Wearing purple clothing or jewelry and decorating with accents of this color will be helpful.
• Sound: om

Stones linked to chakras

MULADHARA - Stones and crystals to help balance your root chakra include smoky quartz , snowflake obsidian, obsidian, mahogany obsidian, onyx, cherry jade, hematite, brecciated jasper, red stone and lava stone.

SWADHISTHANA - Stones and crystals to help balance your sacral chakra include Red Jasper, Carnelian, Redline Marble, Red Agate, Bird's Eye Rhyolite, Copper, Fire Opal, Mandarin Quartz.

MANIPURA – Stones and crystals to help balance your solar plexus chakra include tiger's eye , yellow jasper, calcite, amber, citrine, pyrite and yellow ocean jasper.

ANAHATA - Stones and crystals to help balance your heart chakra include rose quartz, rhodonite , aventurine, rhodochrosite, jade, prehnite, unakite, peridot, watermelon tourmaline, malachite and chrysoprase.

VISHUDDA - Stones and crystals to help balance your throat chakra include lapis lazuli , sodalite, blue lace agate, aquamarine, amazonite, angelite, chrysocolla, larimar and turquoise.

AJNA – Stones and crystals to help balance your third eye chakra include amethyst, lepidolite , apatite, azurite, moonstone, sapphire and moldavite.

SAHASRARA - Stones and crystals to help balance your crown chakra include crystal quartz, howlite, frosted quartz, rutile quartz, selenite, labradorite and sugalite.